David Holley, Ph.D.

Professor and Department Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion

In recent years the focus of my research has been on topics in philosophy of religion. Since my last book, I have been defending and developing the idea that thinking about the existence of God is best done in the context of deciding about what I call a life-orienting story. In contrast to many philosophers, I contend that treating the matter as a purely theoretical issue distracts us from the kind of engaged reflection that is needed. My next big project will deal with the question of how religious belief can be confident when an informed believer will be aware of the possibility of being wrong. Can this kind of belief be both confident and humble?

I. Books:

Meaning and Mystery: What It Means to Believe in God (Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).

Self-Interest and Beyond (St. Paul: Paragon House, 1999).

II. Articles Since 2001:

“Religious Disagreements and Epistemic Rationality,” International Journal For Philosophy of Religion, forthcoming, 2013.